Horseheads' Marlea Nolan drives around Union-Endicott's Victoria Mattarell during the Section 4 Class AA championship game at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton. Nolan scored a game-high 18 points in the Blue Raiders' 79-34.

Written by

Matt Weinstein
| mweinste@gannett.com

After three straight losses in the Section 4 final, the Horseheads girls basketball team had one final shot to get its senior class over that hump and into the state playoffs.

The top-seeded Raiders responded with one of their most dominating efforts of the season, cruising past third seed Union-Endicott, 79-34, to win the Class AA title on Thursday at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

"I'm exhilarated for them," Horseheads coach Andy Scott said. "I told them it's almost like a graduation day because they put in four years ... and they never had a chance to experience this. They are ...